The exhibition describing and characterizing the heroes of the Olonkho is based on the research of scientists from North-Eastern Federal University, Ruslan Anisimov, acting director of the Olonkho Research Institute of NEFU, told TASS. The exhibition was presented at the science festival "NAUKA 0+", held at the Triumph center in Yakutsk.

Olonkho is declared by UNESCO as one of the masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity and occupies a central place in the Yakut folklore. Poems with an average length of 10-15 thousand lines of poetry were performed by Yakut folk storytellers (olonkhosuts) with singing and acting skills of improvisation, singing alternated with recitative. “The exhibition of the universe of the olonkho heroes was prepared by the staff of the Institute. It is based on the results of our scientific research. The universe of the olonkho heroes is very rich and diverse,” said Ruslan Anisimov.

According to him, today the region, with the support of the authorities, is actively working to preserve, study and disseminate the epic heritage. Since 2005, after the Olonkho was declared one of the masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity, about 100 olonkhos have been published in Yakutia.

The scientist reminded that in 2021, a database was entered into the register of Rospatent, which includes information on more than 1.3 thousand heroes of the Yakut Olonkho. “In the future, we plan to study all the texts of the published olonkho. It's time to recreate their canonical images and involve artists to make drawings. Our epic is special because each hero is unique in appearance, temperament, character, and origin. The Olonkho, like a living canvas, absorbed all the folk knowledge during the existence of the people of Yakutia,” he said. The scientist is sure that in the future the images of Yakut heroes can be applied in the creative industry and used in branding.

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The All-Russian Festival NAUKA 0+ is a flagship event of the Year of Science and Technology in Russia, a large-scale Russian project in the field of popularization of science and technology. The festival program is designed for the wide audience without age restrictions. NAUKA 0+ festival was held in Yakutsk on September 23-24.